Science

The Moon Was Formed From a Collision

Run Time: 00:01:58

Scientist Brit Argow and teacher Joe Reilly ask, "How did our Moon form?" Although moons can form in a variety of ways, Dr. Alistair Cameron of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was one of a group of scientists that proposed the Giant Impact Model, currently the most widely-accepted explanation for how our Moon was formed. The Giant Impact Model proposes that a Mars-sized object once crashed into the Earth, leaving behind the Earth and our Moon. With the help of computer simulations of this impact, CfA's Dr. R. Hank Donnelly explains how this impact scenario can result in a predicted outcome that is consistent with actual measurements of the Earth's and Moon's known sizes and compositions. Featured Scientists: R. Hank Donnelly, Myron Lecar, Ph.D., Harrison H. Schmitt, Ph.D., and John A. Wood, Ph.D.

Standards

NSES Standard

Science as Inquiry, 9-12 Standards: Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.

History and Nature of Science, 9-12 Standards: Nature of scientific knowledge: Science is a unique way of knowing due to its use of empirical standards, logical arguments, and skepticism. Scientists strive for the best possible explanations about the natural world.